Freestone · Mixed Sedimentary · Hawke's Bay

Mohaka River

Mohaka River — Mohaka River 01

The Mohaka is Hawke's Bay's great back-country river — a long, wild freestone cutting through gorge country off the Kaweka and Kaimanawa ranges, holding both brown and rainbow trout.

Poor · Brown Trout
Hare & Copper Nymph · 12-16
Closed season
Season reopens 1 October. Plenty of other water available now.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • LevelLight rain recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp8.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Hare & Copper Nymph
Hare & Copper Nymph12-16
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Light rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp8.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather4°C
WindNW 22 km/h
Pressure1010 hPa
Rain · recent4.9 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

How these readings are sourced

Weather-only: no live gauge wired. Back-country freestone — time visits to falling/clearing flow after rain.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
Deleatidium / NZ Mayfly DunHatch
3
3
3
3
2
2
3
3
3
Burrowing Mayfly / Green MayflyHatch
3
2
2
Caddis / SedgeHatch
3
3
3
2
2
3
Cased Caddis / CreeperHatch
3
3
3
2
2
3
3

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Hawke's Bay Fish & Game region — a Fish & Game licence is required
  • Back-country reaches may carry specific rules and access constraints; check the current Anglers Notice and respect private-land access.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. Mohaka River — Mohaka River 01
    Mohaka River 01
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Mohaka is Hawke's Bay's great back-country river — a long, wild freestone cutting through gorge country off the Kaweka and Kaimanawa ranges, holding both brown and rainbow trout. The accessible reaches give good sight- and searching-fishing; the remote middle gorge is wilderness water reached by foot, raft or jet boat and rewards effort with uncrowded fishing. Read the level: it colours after mountain rain and is at its best falling and clearing.

Under the surface

The Mohaka cuts a long gorge out of the Kaweka and Kaimanawa ranges to the Hawke's Bay coast, a big, wild back-country river of greywacke and white water, much of it reached only on foot, by raft or by jet. Brown and rainbow trout hold in its boulder runs and green pools, in country that feels a long way from anywhere.

Wading: Remote gorge, big water, rapid rises after rain — back country care

  • River
  • Mixed sedimentary
  • Confined
  • Pool riffle
  • Gorge
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature67 × 28%18.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity43 × 12%5.2
Conditions total= 72
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Warmer water — toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the temperature score.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 October (lower/accessible reaches; some back-country 1 November)30 April (back-country) / 30 September (some lower reaches)

    Hawke's Bay Fish & Game licence required. Legal status: guidance_not_permission — confirm back-country opening dates in the current Anglers Notice.

Related guides
Booking & contacts